Ever buy kits...just to "Pirate" parts?

[Southern Fried]

A kit you weren't planning on building....but had the "Good stuff" for  another build?

[stitchdup]

Plenty of times, i got a 99 mustang to rob the engine and other parts from, and have 2 amt camaros in the post for the same purpose.  I've been hunting one of the custom pontiacs to use the frame and interior on a johan olds but they just aren't popping up at a price i'd pay for a donor. If kits pop up cheap enough i often use them to bump me into the free postage too, which is why i have a 1/24 stegasoras skeleton and a few airfix 1/32 kits that i use for shaped plastic as the shapes can save a lot of filling

[Fat Brian]

Definitely, probably 10 to 20 percent of the kits I buy are parts donors for others. It's Dr. Frankenstein's lab over here.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Ohh heck yeah. 

[Hermann Kersten]

Oh yeah, me too a couple of times, and  incomplete kits a few times.

I paid a fraction for incomplete kits, after all iI was after the necessary parts that were in these incomplete kits.

 

Hermann.

[89AKurt]

I'm guilty!  When I found a couple of vintage Monogram kits, hunted for donors to add engines at the same swap meet.  When I wanted to ditch the Italeri truck tires on my last Ferrari, got another Fujimi Daytona (have one already, sealed) just for the Borrani wires and Pirelli tires, which was about 1/4 the cost of rare Fujimi wheel parts pack.  Now I want and engine and drivetrain for a Triump TR8.

[ChrisBcritter]

Oh yes. I've picked up a '60 Galaxie for the engine/trans, then snagged another plus a Moebius Comet for $3 each from a dealer who used the bodies for slot cars and sold the rest.

[disabled modeler]

I use to when they were cheaper take 2 and make my own creations from them or build project ideas I wanted to do.  I have a few I really would like to do right now but..???

[TarheelRick]

Sure have.  Every year at the CKM Model Show I look through the vendors "bag" kits for parts builds.  Have picked up a 41 Willys complete Street Rod chassis, and several other goodies.  Also bought the Dodge custom/concept (?) pickup for the bed for a custom I have been working on since dirt was new.  Some kits I bought just because they were cheap and some of them will probably turn into parts kits.

[Snake45]

Of course! I've bought several copies of the AMT '72 Nova and the Double Dragster just because they're "parts mines."  Also the Revell '69 Yenko and Z/28 Camaros. 

[James2]

This questions means that you are an addict. SAA or Styrene Addicts Anonymous can help. There are many signs of an addict, buying kits just for parts is only one of them. But first you must admit you have a problem. There are many of us here than can walk you through this recovery, it's up to you to seek help.

Remember SAA is here for you and your not alone, there is help.... 

Call the Styrene Hotline at 555 STY RENE

Edited April 5, 2020 by James2

[Mark]

The pro street '41 Willys has a great chassis, 392 Hemi with Torqueflite transmission plus a "street version" blower setup (with pulleys and water pump that older kits overlook when old drag cars take to the street), also a Mustang II front suspension with stock A-arms (it's narrowed but that's easy enough to fix).  I've bought three or four of them for cheap, then peddled the bodies to slot car guys and recouped all of the money.  Free chassis and engines!

I've bought leftovers from the slot car guys too.  A Revell '68 Dart had the full chassis, two engines, and the gutted interior parts, but the engine compartment was missing because Slot Car Guy got it with the body.  Fortunately, I had a damaged body that came in a kit I bought when the Dart first came out.  It was damaged, so I wrote Revell and got a replacement.  Lucky I kept the damaged one!

Other "parts mine" kits include the Revell 22 Jr. double kit, the AMT Double Dragster, and the AMT pro street kits (chassis and rear halves can be made to fit whatever you want them to fit).

[cobraman]

Many,many times.

[Mike999]

All the time, if the price is right.  Checking eBay's "Ending Soonest" one night, I found the Revell "Monster Machines" double kit. That's the Mickey Thompson "Challenger" and Tommy Ivo "Showboat"  in one big box.  I already had both of those kits, with the pre-painted figures.

But the minimum bid was only $15.00 and nobody had bid on it, with the auction ending in about a minute. I placed the minimum bid, expecting to get sniped at the last second. Nope, I won it.  So now I have a lifetime supply of vintage Buick and Pontiac engines.

Around here I've been lucky at finding kits with just a little assembly in thrift stores.  Like a pair of AMT-ERTL '67 Mustangs (in different stores) for just a couple of bucks.  That kit is a parts gold mine. 

[vamach1]

I suppose if you count buying a kit for a resin transkit that requires a donor kit.  The good news is you end up with leftover parts which can be used for other projects.  If I cut out the doors and trunk of a kit, I will buy two so I can not worry about being precise and just melt through the plastic while cutting leaving room for the donor pieces.  There are other times when something in a it is so bad you pull out anohter kit and use parts from it so I guess you can say that kit is now been pirated.

[Zoom Zoom]

Not just kits, but diecast too. For those building 2010-up models there are plenty of diecasts out there available cheap enough that provide wheels, mirrors, interior parts, etc. If you want a 2015-up Mustang GT and want your Revell toy to look like a “real” model there are Maisto, Welly and Motormax models out there. I bought two Maisto Assembly Line Bugatti Chirons (40% off each, essentially full retail for a new Round2 reissue) to get me one set of the same wheels/tires for a Santa Fe I’m working on. I’m left with 3 other sets of wheels (two sets of front, one set rear) and one full set of smaller tires. I want to redo the Chiron w/o opening doors and in a better/unique color scheme, leaving the other for whatever. I had the new Academy Santa Fe and an idea spawned by a rendering and had to do it: 

Santa Fe N

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Zoom Zoom
added photos

[High octane]

Yes I have 'bout 8 kits or so that I've bought "just for parts." Hopefully I'll build more and get to use them???

[NOBLNG]

Yes, but only three. Two I bought because I want to meld them into one. And the other for parts to replicate my 1:1 truck.

[Force]

It happens from time to time.

[Tom Geiger]

It’s a way of life!  I go to a lot of shows and constantly buy cheap kits for parts. In fact the 1950 Chevy pickup I’m building right now has come from three $5 parts kits.

[Snake45]

2 hours ago, James2 said:

This questions means that you are an addict. SAA or Styrene Addicts Anonymous can help. There are many signs of an addict, buying kits just for parts is only one of them. But first you must admit you have a problem. There are many of us here than can walk you through this recovery, it's up to you to seek help.

Remember SAA is here for you and your not alone, there is help.... 

Call the Styrene Hotline at 555 STY RENE

Hi, I'm Snake, and I'm powerless over plastic.....

[Snake45]

10 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

It’s a way of life!  I go to a lot of shows and constantly buy cheap kits for parts. In fact the 1950 Chevy pickup I’m building right now has come from three $5 parts kits.

You just reminded me, in recent months I've bought several copies of the Revell '67 Corvette roadster (horrible body!) CHEAP at the local toy show just for parts. So far one has been relieved of its decals, wheels, tires, exhaust, vent windows, and outside mirror. Its hood (and part of the body) will become a vacform master so I can put "stingers" on other Chevies. Gonna see if I can adapt its windshield and frame to a Palmer I have that's missing them. The interior parts will probably end up in one or more original AMT or MPC '67 Corvette restorations. 

Come to think of it, I've also bought (cheap) several copies of the latest reissue of the MPC '75 Corvette roadster just for the metal injector stacks, naked Rally Wheels, tires, and spare chassis parts for restoring old MPC Corvettes. 

[Rbray47]

Every time Ollie's gets kits in stock.

They rarely get anything I'm interested in building. Bought a couple each of the 05 300, 72 Challengers, and 64 Dodge 330s. Hopefully I'll be able to combine one of the 300s with the Challengers. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup. Bought two Thames gasser kits just to get the fuel injection. Bought Challengers and Showboats for the engines, bellhousings, gearboxes, and diffs. And on and on and on...

[espo]

I think as you can see, this is a very common thing to do. Any time I see a close out price at HL I buy the kit even if I'll never have an interest in building it. There are always parts that can be used on other builds and this is the lest expensive way to get those parts in most cases.